Too Late for a Brat Haüs Pig Mac? Head to McDonald's for the Midnight Mac

The Guilty Pleasure: Midnight Mac (the DIY Pig Mac)
Where To Get It:McDonald's, locations everywhere
The Price: About $6
What It Really Costs: About 900 calories, but in the middle of the night, who cares?

Last week, I got to sing the praises of the Pig Mac at Brat Haüs in Scottsdale. It's an outstanding take on McDonald's iconic Big Mac. While the Pig Mac is one of my favorite burgers in town, it has a serious problem. It's exactly the kind of burger you want when you're in the mood for extra-late-night food, and the Brat Haüs kitchen is open until only 10 p.m. on weekends.

Dedicated fast-food fans may be familiar with a DIY option at McDonald's, the Mc10:35. To get one, you show up at McDonald's right when it's switching from the breakfast menu to the lunch menu. They usually have a couple of eggs left over, so they'll still make you an Egg McMuffin if you order one. So, order an Egg McMuffin, and then get a McDouble because the lunch menu is now available. Take the contents of the McDouble, and insert into the Egg McMuffin. (You can do vice versa, but a burger on an English Muffin is a pleasure to behold.) Voilà, you have a Mc10:35.

The Mc10:35 is all well and good, but we're going to do one better. You see, McDonald's recently rolled out a late-night menu, offering selected breakfast and lunch/dinner items together from midnight to 4 a.m. After that too-late encounter at Brat Haüs, a light went on in my head. I could head to McDonald's and cobble together a version of the Pig Mac myself.

Should I feel like a bit of a mad scientist combining these two?

JK Grence

All it takes is the Pig Mac's inspiration, the Big Mac, and a Sausage McMuffin with Egg. Open up the Big Mac, and move the top patty down to the bottom half of the sandwich. Then, put the insides of the Sausage McMuffin with Egg into the freshly vacated top half of the Big Mac.

Is it as good as the Pig Mac? Of course not. We're talking a well-crafted burger versus McDonald's. But, the comparison is literally night and day. My creation may not have the panache of the Pig Mac, but it scratches the itch when I get a 2 a.m. craving.

Since (as far as I can tell) I'm the first to come up with the combination, I believe that entitles me to naming rights. Since it's a Pig Mac inspired by the Mc10:35, I'll combine the two ideas. New creation, I dub thee . . . the Midnight Mac. Friends, go forth and enjoy a Midnight Mac the next time you're out later than you should be. You'll be glad you did.